Chrysler’s Ram Rolls Out “Longhorn” Luxury Pickup (Video)

What pickup drivers want: A powerful engine, strong frame, heavy-duty towing capacity, and soft leather seats laser-etched with fussy designs. From now on, if you want to be a cowboy you’ll have to specify whether you’re thinking ”Gunsmoke” or “Dallas.”

Chrysler’s Ram division rolled out the Laramie Longhorn edition to cater to the latter style – the glitzy urban cowboy with shiny boots, designer jeans and “product” in his hair, not the tough guy wrangling cattle out on the range who can’t remember the last time he bathed. Shower gel — what’s that? While it’s easy to make fun of the how pretty pickups have become, there is a good case for luxury trucks. Ram says 25% of the pickup trucks it sells are the top-of-the-line “Laramie” models, which have luxurious interiors and more electronic gadgets.

The Longhorn model turns turns up the intensity with what Ram says is the best leather it has ever put in a vehicle. The upholstery has contrasting stitching to match the most precious handbags and frilly designs etched into the hides that recall fancy saddles and boots.

Ram also has an acute competitive reason for developing the Longhorn. It is the last of the Detroit Three to jump into the over-the-top luxury truck market. General Motors Corp. recently began selling upmarket Denali versions of its heavy-duty GMC pickups and Ford has sold pricey King Ranch models of its F-Series pickups for years.